THAT'S A WRAP: Some sporting streaks are hard to bear

Robert Covington (33) of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates the drought-breaking win at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia over the LA Lakers. Photo: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images.

WHILE the Golden State Warriors have been receiving all the plaudits for their record-breaking winning run in the NBA (currently at 20 to start this season and 24 in total), the Philadelphia 76ers had been putting together their own benchmark streak.

The 76ers stunned the LA Lakers on Thursday, and we mean stunned because it followed 28 straight defeats - a record in not only the NBA but in any of North America's major sporting competitions.

While it would be the last time the retiring Kobe Bryant would play in his hometown of Philly, there wasn't a lot of joy to be had by the basketball great.

The 76ers' losing run dates back to last season - March 27 - and topped their own previous NBA record of 26, jointly held with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

That's also the number for most defeats in succession in Major League Baseball and the NFL, set by the now defunct Louisville Colonels (in 1889) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (in 1976), respectively.

They are nothing compared to a couple of Aussie records, however.

Sydney University holds the record for the worst losing run in NSWRL/NRL history, accumulating 42 before ultimately pulling the pin in 1937, while University's 51 losses in succession from 1912-14 remains the benchmark for the VFL/AFL.

SPEAKING of setting new lows, you would think that if you earned $27m a season in the NBA you would be able to shoot from the free-throw line.

Apparently not - if your name is DeAndre Jordan.

The LA Clippers centre had a shocker against the Portland Trailblazers, missing 22 free shots from an incredible 34 attempts, the most misses since Wilt Chamberlain in 1967.

(Hot-air) Jordan has missed more free throws this season than almost half of the teams in competition.

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant smiles as he jogs to the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Photo: AP Photo/Matt Slocum.

KOBE Bryant and Tiger Woods are arguably two of the greatest sportsmen of any generation. While Kobe seems happy to be ending a stellar career which sees him third on the all-time NBA scoring list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone, Tiger looks like he could be forced to quit with a chronic back problem.

Tiger's record of 14 major golf titles is second only to Jack Nicklaus' 18. Both will go down as legends.

Andy Murray in action against Belgium's David Goffin during the fourth match of the Davis Cup World Group Final in Gent, Belgium. Photo: EPA/LAURENT DUBRULE

ANDY'S HARD TO PLEASE

WORLD No.2 Andy Murray hasn't helped his reputation for being world No.1 when it comes to grumpiness on the ATP Tour.

The man English TV presenter Gabby Logan once described as the "the moodiest, most miserable b*****d" she'd ever met, was at it again after securing the Davis Cup for Great Britain.

He took aim at British tennis' governing body, the Lawn Tennis Association, for failing to nurture the next crop of tennis players and allowing the National Tennis Centre to go to waste. "I took photos of it because the place cost £40m ($AU83m) and there are no people there, no players in there practising. It was empty."

Now you can throw in the unflattering nickname of Barrel for a cricketer - in this case Victorian Scott Boland, who is on the verge of Australian Test selection.

The 189cm paceman earned the name several years ago when his weight ballooned out to 118kg ... just after he "discovered beer".

His captain at club side Frankston Peninsula, Matt Chasemore, once described him as a "big fat bloke". He's now down to a far trimmer 96kg but taking big fat hauls of wickets, including 7-31 last weekend for the Bushrangers.

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

THE GOOD (SORT OF): This year's FloTrack Beer Mile World Championship took place in Austin, Texas, and, as far as we could tell, the only things being thrown up were some world-record displays. After downing four beers and running four laps of the track, Lewis Kent lowered his own world-best mark for the men by finishing in 4min 47.17sec, while Erin O'Mara set a new best time for the girls, 6min 08.51sec. Staggering times to say the least.

Luca Zidane.

THE BAD: It appears the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree. Zinedine Zidane was, of course, a French football superstar, but for many he was most famous for the headbutt on Italian Marco Meterazzi in the 2006 World Cup. Like his father before him, Luca Zidane (above), 17, was sent off from a youth game between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid for ... of course, headbutting.

THE UGLY: Fans at English Championship club Leeds United are kicking up a stink at what they claim is a "pie tax". The club is set to raise prices in the Southern Stand by $10 for adults which will include a "meal-deal voucher". A spokesman told the Yorkshire Post the club was "looking at ways to encourage supporters to use the catering". Maybe a better way would be not to force punters to eat rubbish pies, drop the price and improve the food.